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Get the latest on vaccine mandates, CRP enrollment, Florida’s orange harvest and more!

Rachel Schutte, Content Producer

January 28, 2022

2 Min Read
Collage with corn harvest, capitol building and angus beef cattle

Missed some agricultural news this week? Here are seven stories to catch you up.

Time to sign up for CRP programs

Producers interested in enrolling acres in the Conservation Reserve Program should call ahead to their local USDA field office. General CRP signup will run from Jan. 31 to March 11, and the Grassland CRP signup will run from April 4 to May 13. – Farm Futures

Viterra Limited to acquire Gavilon

On Wednesday, Viterra Limited announced it has entered into a stock purchase agreement with Marubeni America Corporation to acquire the grain and ingredients business of Gavilon. Viterra's agreed purchase price for the acquisition of Gavilon is $1.125 billion plus working capital and is subject to certain customary purchase price adjustments. – Farm Futures

Crop insurance payouts on the rise

Insurance payments to U.S. farmers for crops lost to droughts and flooding have risen more than threefold over the past 25 years. Insurance payments to farmers due to drought rose more than 400% between 1995 and 2020 to $1.65 billion, while payments due to excess moisture – like floods - rose nearly 300% to $2.61 billion. – Reuters

Walmart invests in indoor vertical farming startup

Walmart has taken a stake in the agriculture startup Plenty, becoming the first large U.S. retailer to significantly invest in indoor vertical farming to deliver fresher produce to its stores. Walmart said that under the deal, Plenty’s Compton farm will send leafy greens to Walmart’s California stores beginning later this year. – AP News

Canadian government won’t budge on trucker vaccine mandate

The Canadian government says it will not back down on its vaccination rule for cross-border truckers despite entrenched opposition from some drivers and groups claiming to represent their interests. A convoy of protesters are set to descend on Ottawa this weekend to stage a demonstration on Parliament Hill. – CBC News

Citrus greening slices Florida orange harvest

Florida is on pace to produce the smallest crop of oranges in more than 75 years, according to a forecast released this month. With that small a crop, California will surpass Florida in orange production for the first time in recent years. Florida’s orange production has been on a quarter century slide due to citrus greening. – AP News

And in case you missed it…

Soybean acres to top corn acres in 2022

The January 2022 Farm Futures survey found that high input costs will drive U.S. growers to plant fewer corn acres in 2022 in favor of other crops with less expensive production costs. Farm Futures projects 2022 corn acreage at 90.4 million acres in 2022 and soybean acreage at 92.4 million acres. It will be only the second time in U.S. history more soybeans than corn will be planted to the tune of 1.2 million acres. – Farm Futures

About the Author(s)

Rachel Schutte

Content Producer, Farm Futures

Rachel grew up in central Wisconsin and earned a B.S. in soil and crop science from the University of Wisconsin - Platteville. Before joining the Farm Futures team, Rachel spent time in the field as an agronomist before transitioning to the world of marketing and communications. She now resides in northeast Iowa where she enjoys raising bottle calves and farming corn and soybeans alongside her husband and his family.

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